I've been seeing your boat sitting there for years, that's been the yard I use since way before Hinckley bought it from Ken Winter... Hinckley couldn't possibly have purchased that place at a worse time, I've been wondering how much longer they'd be able to hang on... Very sad, looks like what used to be one of the finest boatyards on the Jersey shore might be gone for good...

There's no way your draft is 8', I certainly would have noticed that... And, it it was, the only way it would have ever gotten in there, or you'd get it out of there now, would be on a truck :-)

Are you actually in NJ now? You're right in my neighborhood, if so...

The DIY yards I've had the most experience with, and would recommend, would be Russell's in Morehead City, Oasis in St Augustine, and Cracker Boy in Ft Pierce. I'd recommend any of them highly...

I'd suggest doing the Delaware Bay/Chesapeake route instead of outside to Norfolk, then inside all the way, jumping outside from Morehead to Wrightsville, and Cape Fear River to Little River if the weather was fine... If you're confident in the boat by the time you get to Charleston, maybe outside again off Georgia if the weather is perfect... Otherwise, I'd stick to the Ditch, you're not gonna be sailing, anyway...

Hello ..
I am planning to take my 60 ft sailboat that is not rigged and no mast !!

According to your eBay ad, you have a mast.

"I had originally purchased this boat without any rigging ..but now I have a new mast that is a little tall for it but can be shortened without to much trouble the mast is aluminum and very high quality and made in three sections ..easy to ship ! ..I will include photos of the mast and rigging that I have in the next few days . NO winches !! and the sails are used but are in real nice shape .. "

If your 60' boat is in Brick, NJ, then your only way out is through the Point Pleasant Canal or on a truck bed because the route through the Mantoloking Bridge will not allow any more than a 4'6" draft from plowing through mud.. If you plan to depart through the Point Pleasant Canal and out Manasquan Inlet, then you must have absolute dependable engines,- that's not a route for a "test run"! I would take the option of getting this beast on a truck bed for a short safe road trip to a nearby location in order to finish the refit; however, money might be a hurdle. Balancing the cost and safety choices can set people up for loss and sorrow. 'be careful!

Ad me to the truck it crowd. Your 8 foot draft really limits your options. Even if, under optimal conditions you could take thru the canal and out Manasquan, one bad move sticks you in the mud or sand. Then, once out there are really no run for cover options other than Atlantic City. And, even there, if you venture too far off the beaten path you are gonna stick yourself.

If you can make a non stop trip down the coast, I'm with Jon, your best option is to hang a right motor up Delaware Bay to the C&D canal and then straight down the channel in the Chesepeake. The good news is that with the right weather window this is totally doable. The bad news and my worry with you doing this is that the draft is problematic. Even Delaware Bay is full of sand bars and low spots. Many uncharted since Sandy's passing last year. If you decide you need to pull over for a rest, once out of the channel it could be game on in many parts of that bay right now. It's a matter of extreme caution.

Lastly, the area immediately off Cape May Point is a shoal. If you got caught up in there, you wouldn't be the first.

Another point that probably argues for the inside route: sailboats are designed for being at sea with the rig in the boat. I've never experienced being at sea with the rig out, but it's my understanding that the boat's motion is much quicker/sharper and, therefore, more uncomfortable / dangerous. Having been offshore south of Norfolk in November twice I can say that it is unlikely you'll be able to clear Hatteras in conditions where roll, pitch and yaw are minimal.

I'm in the "this is very foolish" camp. If you would have stayed at the current yard, why not just find another yard close by? There are more than a thousand things that can go wrong with your plan and at least 500 will visit you during this attempt. Chuck

When we had a 52 we moved it from the Cape to RI once for a paint job with no stick, on a nice day. I can confirm that the rolling motion of the boat was uncomfortable even in good near shore conditions. BTW/we stuck a 2x4 in the mast collar and put our VHF and AIS antenna, radar reflector, and a steaming light on it. Maybe should have made it bigger and mounted a steading sail

If you do head out Manasquan, take the Cape May Canal at a mid and rising tide to Delaware Bay. 'no need to head outside the cape and you can anchor off the Coast Guard station waiting for the proper tide. Consider the Deltaville Marina DIY yard off Jackson Creek on the south side of Stingray Point at Deltaville, Virginia. There will be a mild winter here and reasonable rates to finish off your refit with none of the stress with taking the unfinihed boat down to Florida. This is a very popular DIY yard.

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